Terri Ramsey Beavers If you are a fan of music, you are well aware that seeing one of your favorite bands live is a peak experience you will be talking about for the rest of your life.
We are being bombarded with new events and tours constantly throughout the year which makes it difficult to decide what show to even go to.
Luckily, I have compiled a list of all the best touring musicians our generation has available.
All of the bands listed are musicians that have blown minds, impacted lives, and rocked worlds. You can be assured that they will bring a beautifully crafted live show, a powerful stage presence, and a live performance that blows their studio albums out of the water.
Read on to discover the best live bands of our generation that you need to see live.
10) Gogol Bordello
It is difficult to think of a band in recent memory that can bring the level of energy Gogol Bordello brings to a live show. Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy Punk band consisting of eight equally talented musicians who mix Ukrainian culture, different languages, modern punk, Latin rock, dub, and chaos onto their stage.
They are oftentimes compared to a traveling drunken orchestra rather than a band. The boisterous frontman of the group of misfits, Eugene Hutz, is known for sharing his Coppola wine with the front row throughout the show by pouring it on them.
This is the show to go to if you want an abrupt break in your everyday routine, their shows are essentially designed to get everyone jumping to the most eclectic music you will ever see live.
9) Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine is one of the most influential bands emerging out of the 90s. They pioneered a new version of metal now called nu-metal as well as rap-metal.
After disbanding back in the year 2000 the band is now reunited for a world tour and to say that fans are excited is an understatement.
A lot of this band’s live magnetism comes from the thousands of dedicated fans that bring the show all the energy they possibly can give. Rage Against the Machine and the audience feed off each other’s anarchist and rebellious energy leading to a show filled with jumping, screaming, and camaraderie.
Their legendary music, passionate fanbase, and the rarity of their live performances makes this one of the best live shows you can’t miss.
8) Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is one of the worlds best selling musical artists with enough hits to fill an entire set. Adam Levine’s stage presence is that of a well-seasoned musician, cool, charming, and enticing.
Maroon 5’s genre is pop rock and soft rock but what makes this band so good to see live is that they mix funk, some jazz, and heavier rock and electronic music into their sets. Seeing Maroon 5 is the only way you can see the true scope of this band’s talent.
If they are touring in a city near you, use this citi card presale code and snag some tickets to party with this three-time Grammy award-winning band.
7) Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is one of the rare bands that can achieve the seemingly impossible, they can sound better than their recorded music. The passion that each individual member brings to the stage is hard to come by.
Not only is being in the audience a unifying, communal experience but the instruments are also communal between band members as they switch instruments during the set.
Arcade Fire can sometimes be dismissed as just another indie band but seeing them live proves that they are the most interesting sounding bands of this generation mixing in pop, electronic, and disco.
After leaving an Arcade Fire show you leave knowing that this is a band generations will keep talking about long after they stop touring.
6) Florence + The Machine
Florence graces the stage with ethereal grace and a freedom that is contagious. She moves and dances erratically to the music while also managing to maintain her transcendent voice at studio-level quality.
Florence Welch is known to ask the crowd to put their cellphones away and to turn to those next to them to say that they love them. This positivity and community makes Florence + The Machine one of the best bands to see live.
5) The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are three-time Grammy Award winners for awards such as best rock instrumental performance and best alternative rock album. These modern rock icons nod to the icons that came before them by setting aside major stage time to cover classics such a David Bowie’s Space Oddity and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Wayne Goyne is easily one of the best frontmen in recent history and possibly of all time. The love he has for performing and his playful electrifying energy is almost tangible from the crowd.
The Flaming Lips are considered to have one of the most magical and over the top concerts of modern-day rock where you are guaranteed to see the biggest disco ball in the world on stage, infinite amounts of confetti, glitter, and unicorns.
4) Muse
This musical trio will blow you away with their laser light shows and keep you on your feet while they are literally off theirs (they seem to like to perform while hanging mid-air). Their shows are often compared to their prog-rock predecessors like Pink Floyd.
3) Tool
Even for live music aficionados who are not a fan of progressive rock or alternative metal, Tool is guaranteed to be a unique live music experience.
A Tool show is not something you merely witness. It is a performance you are completely immersed in.
They are well renowned for their immersive live performances that are oftentimes compared to the psychedelic live experience of seeing Pink Floyd in concert. The light show is perfectly choreographed with the songs.
Tool will provide jaw-dropping laser shows, visual arts, and sounds. Their genre-bending music, intricate visuals, and exceptional talent make Tool one of the best live bands of all time.
2) Bruce Springsteen
The truly iconic Bruce Springsteen is frequently named as the top live performer of all time. He has been a household name around the entire world since the 70s when he released his most famous alum Born to Run and is still going strong and touring in these recent years.
His Wrecking Ball Tour has been one of the most widely attended tours of all time and there is speculation that Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be recording a new album and preparing another tour within the next few years so keep your eyes peeled.
1) Metalica
Live music is arguably the best way to experience the intensity and immense catalog of hits Metalica has to offer.
Ever since the beginning of their worldwide success in the 80s this band dominates the live music world and reminds you why they are legendary and respected across generations and across all music tastes.
They are regularly ranked as the best live band of all time, go out and rock out with them in their upcoming 2020 tour and see what the hype is about!